Card Flourishes Card Flourishes Alexander (magician) Claude Alexander Conlin (1880–1954), also known as Alexander, C. Alexander, Alexander the Crystal Seer, and Alexander the Man Who Knows, was a vaudeville magician who specialized in mentalism and psychic reading acts, dressed in Oriental style robes and a feathered turban, and often used a crystal ball as a prop. In addition to performing, he also worked privately for clients, giving readings. He was the author of several pitch books, New Thought pamphlets, and psychology books, as well as texts for stage performers. His stage name was "Alexander," and as an author he wrote under the name "C. Alexander. Life and stage career Alexander was born in Alexandria, South Dakota, the son of Berthold Michael James Conlin. Within the family Claude Alexander was known as "C. A." and his brother Clarence Berthold Conlin was known as "C. B." Clarence B. had a successful career as an attorney and he also worked as a stage mentalist, although his fame never equalled that of Claude Alexander.

Between 1915 and 1924, Conlin, under the stage name "Alexander, The Man Who Knows," was a popular and highly paid stage mentalist.[1] Alexander promoted his psychic act as a form of mental telepathy or mind reading. Audience members gave him sealed questions, which he answered from the stage. His techniques were not revealed during his lifetime. He is credited as the inventor and/or popular developer of a number of electrical stage effects which were the forerunners of modern electronic stage effects. Both one of Alexander's biographer's, David Charvet, writing in the 2000s, and one of Alexander's publishers of the 1940s, Robert A. Nelson, have said that Alexander was the highest-paid mentalist in the world at the height of his career, during the 1920s. Both sources state that he earned multiple millions of dollars during his career on stage and that during his lifetime he may have been the highest paid entertainer in the field of magic.[2][3] Alexander retired from the stage in 1927, at the age of 47.

He remained part of the social circles of entertainment personalities in Southern California, counting among his friends stars like Marion Davies, Margaret Sullavan, Jackie Coogan, Harold Lloyd, and Clara Bow.[4] He died in 1954 at the age of 74 due to complications from an operation for stomach ulcers. He was survived by two sons and a daughter. He was buried in Seattle, Washington.[4] Alexander's career and personal life have long been shrouded in mystery, but in the late 20th century, Clarence's granddaughter Cathy Stevenson inherited scrap book material on the careers of both her grandfather "C. B." and great-uncle "C. A." which allowed biographers to take a closer look at the life of Alexander the Crystal Seer and his family. New Thought and Spiritualism beliefs With respect to the question of psychic phenomena, magic, spiritualism, and the occult, Alexander led a sort of double life, especially after he retired from the stage. On the one hand, in 1921 he wrote and published The Life And Mysteries Of The Celebrated Dr. Q (also known as The Dr. Q.

Book), which was later re-published by Nelson Enterprises of Columbus, Ohio for the stage magic trade. In this book, Alexander exposed the techniques used by fraudulent spiritualist mediums to dupe their clients, provided blueprints for the manufacture of psychic act stage props, and even revealed the famous "Zancig Code" pioneered by the mentalists Julius and Agnes Zancig. On the other hand, like the Zancigs, he never completely discounted the possibility that Spiritualism might contain elements of truth, and from 1919 onward he also operated a publishing house, the C. Alexander Publishing Company in Los Angeles, California, which released his own astrological, pro-Spiritualist, and New Thought material, including a 5-volume series called The Inner Secrets of Psychology and a booklet for his students titled Personal Lessons, Codes, and Instructions for Members of the Crystal Silence League. The latter is a manual that explains the technique of affirmative prayer, and presents methods for the development of Spiritualistic mediumship, and divination through crystal ball scrying.

The back cover displays Alexander's connection to the New Thought movement, for it lists an extensive array of titles that Alexander offered for sale at his book shop, including works written and published by the New Thought author William Walker Atkinson under his own name and also under the pseudonyms Theron Q. Dumont, Yogi Ramacharaka, and Swami Panchadasi; as well as a book by Atkinson's sometime co-author, the occultist L. W. de Laurence. Controversy The biographer David Charvet, who interviewed surviving members of Alexander's family, wrote that Alexander had "seven marriages (sometimes to more than one woman at once)." The biographer Darryl Beckmann wrote that Alexander was "married eleven times." No evidence of bigamy has surfaced to back up either of these conflicting claims.

[2][4] Charvet claimed in his biography that Alexander [spent] time [...] in local jails and federal prison, [went on] trial for attempting to extort an oilman millionaire, [made a] failed attempt to out run the authorities in a high powered speed-boat loaded with bootlegged liquor, and [...] admitted killing four men." [2] According to Beckmann, Alexander was a "con-man" as well as a stage performer. [4] A newspaper account in which it was stated that Alexander shot and killed a street mugger who attacked him, and was let off on the grounds of self-defense, was cited by Charvet; the other claims remain unsourced. Legacy Alexander invested a great deal of money into the production and printing of beautiful chromolithograph posters for his stage show. When he retired from the stage, he kept these in storage and eventually sold the unused posters and all of his stage equipment and props to a magic dealer in Ohio in the 1940s.

This dealer in turn sold the stage show and the posters to another magician, Lon Mandrake, who toured extensively during the 1950s under Alexander's name in order to make use of the large supply of full-colour posters. Thus, those who saw a show by "Alexander" in the 1950s actually were witnessing a recreation performance by Mandrake.[2][4] Alexander was mentioned by name in a 1950s episode of the NBC television production Playhouse 90 called "The Great Sebastians," starring Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne as a pair of stage magicians who resembled his old friends The Zancigs. Bibliography Alexander: The Man Who Knows, C. Alexander Publishing Co., Los Angeles, California, n.d. (c. 1913-1920). Personal Lessons, Codes, and Instructions for Members of the Crystal Silence League, C. Alexander Publishing Co., Los Angeles, California, n.d. (c. 1913). Crystal Gazing: Lessons and Instructions in Silent Influence With the Crystal, Written Especially for and Dedicated to Members of The Crystal Silence League, C. Alexander Publishing Co., Los Angeles, California. (c.

1919). Alexander's Book of Extensive Astrological Readings, C. Alexander Publishing Co., Los Angeles, California, 1919. Alexander's Book of Mystery, C. Alexander Publishing Co., Los Angeles, California, 1919. The Life And Mysteries Of The Celebrated Dr. Q C. Alexander Publishing Co., Los Angeles, California, 1921 [also known as The Dr. Q. Book]. (Reprinted by Robert Nelson Enterprises, Columbus, Ohio, c. 1948) Alexander's Book of Mystery: Astrological Forecasts, Crystal Gazing, Practical and Advanced Psychology, Etc., C. Alexander Publishing Co. 1923. The Inner Secrets of Psychology Volumes 1 - 5, C. Alexander Publishing Co., Los Angeles, California,1924. The Projective Branch of Crystal Gazing, Written Especially for and Dedicated to Members of The Crystal Silence League, C. Alexander Publishing Co., Los Angeles, California. n.d. (c. 1924).

Diposkan oleh Fanny pamungkas di 11.12 Theodore Annemann Theodore 'Theo' Annemann (stage name Ted Anneman) born Theodore John Squires (February 22, 1907 – January 12, 1942) was an American professional magician who specialized in the field of mentalism. Annemann is most famous for inventing and refining many of the standard mentalism routines that continue to be used by magicians today. Biography Early in his life, Annemann began working as a railroad clerk and then got into showbusiness as a tenor singer and a magician's assistant. He eventually became interested in mentalism and used his invention and performance skills to become one of the most talented and respected magicians of the 1930s. Annemann perfected his own version of the famous bullet catch illusion, performing the effect outdoors. Accounts of his performance describe the feat as a dramatic effect wherein Annemann would collapse from the apparent force of the gun and then produce the bullet from his blood-drenched mouth. In 1934 he began publishing the famous magazine The Jinx, for magicians.

The magazine was focused on mentalism, but also featured ground-breaking effects from other fields of magic. The publication of this magazine ceased after Annemann's death and copies of it have become collector's items. Effects from the magazine have been published in several books and manuscripts, among them Annemann's Practical Mental Magic. This book is considered a classic in the field of mentalism. Annemann was married twice and had a daughter by his first wife.[1] His personality is the subject of much speculation. On the night of January 12, 1942, Annemann was scheduled to perform his bullet catch indoors for the first time. Before the performance, he committed suicide. Since the subject of suicide is complicated, we may never know exactly why Theo decided to end his own life. It is believed that Annemann was suffering from severe stage fright and drug abuse among other factors related to mental distress at the time of his death. Diposkan oleh Fanny pamungkas di 11.03 Steven Frayne (born 17 December 1982 in Bradford) is an English magician who performs under the stage-name of Dynamo.

Biography Dynamo the magician grew up on Bradford's deprived Delph Hill Estate in the north of England. He first learned magic from his grandfather and developed it during trips to New Orleans. Wanting to innovate, Stevie Frayne combined elements of dance and hip hop culture into his magic routines.[3] Dynamo has Crohn's disease. Media appearances His first TV appearances were on Richard & Judy, followed by a Channel 4 special 'Dynamo's Estate Of Mind'. Frayne then released a DVD called 'Concrete Playground'.[6] Dynamo has since appeared on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross, Fatherhood and the MTV EMA's where he performed for The Foo Fighters, Nelly Furtado and Joss Stone. He has fronted commercials for Adidas and Nokia and appeared on the catwalk for Naomi Campbell's Fashion For Relief. In May 2009 Dynamo levitated Little Britain comedian Matt Lucas four feet off the ground in front of a crowd at the Emirates Stadium in London. On Christmas Day 2009, Dynamo appeared on the Soccer AM Christmas Special, and performed magic for the show's presenters Max Rushden and Helen Chamberlain, as well as fellow guests David Haye and Neil Ruddock.

On 19 March 2010, Dynamo appeared on BBC1 in aid of Sport Relief where he turned signed lottery tickets into cash in front of Robbie Williams and Davina McCall. Later in the show he performed a lean-back levitation in front of James Corden and a live studio audience. On 18 March 2011, Dynamo appeared in a small clip on BBC1 for Comic Relief, highlighting the work that British Airways had done in raising money. On 25 June 2011 Dynamo was apparently photographed walking on water; crossing the River Thames on foot in front of the Palace of Westminster, to publicise his forthcoming series Dynamo: Magician Impossible. This will feature guest appearances by Rio Ferdinand, Ian Brown, Noel Fielding, David Haye, Mat Horne, Travis Barker, Natalie Imbruglia and Robert Sheehan. Releases Dynamo's Underground Magic (DVD)[8] Dynamo's Estate of Mind Channel 4 Dynamo's Concrete Playground (DVD) Warner Bros.

Dynamo's magician impossible Watch The Amazing Johnathan John Edward Szeles (born September 9, 1958, in Detroit, Michigan), better known by the stage name The Amazing Johnathan, is an American stand-up comedian/magician. His act is mostly composed of hijinks, interaction with one specific audience member and a few legitimate magic tricks. Since 2001, he has been a year-round headliner in Las Vegas. Self-described as the "Freddy Krueger of Comedy",[1] Szeles usually performs wearing his everpresent headband and his shows frequently use gore, such as pretending to suck on his own hanging eyeball, cutting his wrists, and skewering his own tongue. He is also good friends with fellow performer Criss Angel, and has helped Angel perform a variety of illusions, most notably during his three guest appearances on Mindfreak. Szeles, who began his career performing in the streets of San Francisco,[2] first appeared on television in The 8th Annual Young Comedians Show in 1983 and later went on to become the host of the short-lived 1991 syndicated variety/game show Ruckus.

He appeared on various talk and variety shows from the mid-80s to mid 2000s. His only credited performance as an actor was The Obligatory Holiday Episode of The Weird Al Show (playing the part of Uncle Johnathan). He has made several appearances on Late Night with David Lettermen, a record 24 appearances on Fox's Comic Strip Live, and has had several specials on Comedy Central including Comedy Central Presents, Lounge Lizards and more recently his own one hour special entitled "Wrong on Every Level." (November 18, 2006), He dedicated the special to his Uncle Eugene, who showed him his first card trick which "started this whole mess". His only film appearance is the 2005 documentary The Aristocrats. Szeles has also authored a how-to book on practical jokes titled Every Trick in the Book, a compilation of both classic practical jokes and plain magic tricks, along with his own original material in both categories.

He is currently finishing up his memoirs, entitled, "Drive It Like You Stole It." In March 2007 it was reported that Szeles was diagnosed with "a serious heart condition".[3] The performer's website identified the condition as cardiomyopathy and went on to assert that, due to a combination of weight loss and blood thinners, he was doing well and decided to postpone retirement indefinitely. In 2008, Szeles combined two of his passions (classic car collecting and drive-in movie theaters) to open the "Amazing Underground" a members only indoor drive-in movie theatre located within his warehouse facilities in Las Vegas. As of 2011, Szeles was performing regular shows in Las Vegas at the Harmon Theater while also taking select dates at venues across the USA and in Australia. 2011 marks Szeles' third year of performing at the Harmon Theatre and Szeles' 11th consecutive year as a full-time Las Vegas headliner.

He has won "Best Comedian" award from Las Vegas Review Journal, Comedian of the Year from Nevada Magazine, Top Ten Acts in Vegas (LVRJ) and is the longest running, most successful solo comic magician in U.S history Diposkan oleh Fanny pamungkas di 10.49 Criss Angel Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos (born December 19, 1967), better known by the stage name Criss Angel, is an American illusionist, stunt performer, musician, and actor. He is best known for starring in the television show, Criss Angel Mindfreak and his live performance illusion show Criss Angel Believe in artistic collaboration with Cirque du Soleil at the Luxor casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. He made numerous special television guest appearances on WWE Raw, The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Megan Mullally Show, The Ellen Show, AVN Awards Show 2007 and Larry King Live on CNN. He also made a guest acting appearance on the hit television shows CSI: NY and Las Vegas.

Early life Son of Greek-Americans John and Dimitra Sarantakos, Christopher Nicholas Sarantakos was raised in East Meadow, Long Island, New York, with two brothers, Costa and J.D His father owned a restaurant and doughnut shop and was devoted to personal fitness before dying of cancer in 1998.[1] Angel was first introduced to magic at age 6, after his Aunt Stella taught him a card trick. His interest grew and by the time he graduated from East Meadow High School, he was not interested in attending college. He aimed at becoming a professional magician. Diposkan oleh Fanny pamungkas di 10.34 Ed Marlo Ed Marlo (born Edward Malkowski in Chicago, Illinois, October 10, 1913 - November 7, 1991) was a magician who specialized in card magic. He referred to himself and others of his specialty as "cardicians".[1] One of the most notable names in card magic. Marlo himself coined the term cardician,[2] a term which has since been used for magicians who only perform card magic.

His first publication in 1938, Pasteboard Presto, was an unheralded thunderbolt which merely hinted at the bulk of work which was to follow. The many sleights he created have changed the face of card magic. One notable example is his Snap change, used in David Blaine´s Street Magic Special. Marlo wrote over sixty books and manuscripts, and contributed over 2000 tricks in the field of card magic. He did not limit himself to cards as he also authored works on coin magic and dice magic. His most famous works are "The Cardician" and "Revolutionary Card Technique", the latter of which was originally published as a series but later compiled into one weighty tome. He also wrote a series of private manuscripts that were circulated only among the top card magicians of the era. Titles included "Riffle Shuffle Systems", "Patented False Shuffle", "Faro Controlled Miracles" and others. They are extremely rare and highly sought after. Edward Marlo also authored a number of "magazines," titled "Marlo Magazines." These items are more like books as each one is more than a couple hundred pages.

They are extremely rare and just as costly, when they come up for sale. Edward Marlo rarely gave lectures and only performed/lectures outside of Chicago a few times. Professionally Edward Marlo was a machinist. Ed made modifications and configurations to the machines in the shop so that they could produce eight hours of work in less than one eighth of the day. Ed kept this information to himself, his boss would believe that progress at the end of each work day was that of eight hours, when in reality it only took one hour, and the other seven hours of every day, Ed Marlo was getting paid to play with his cards. His favourite card was the seven of diamonds. His wife would always make sure a certain amount of seven of diamonds were in his jacket. See also Marlos work can also be found in 'expert card mysterys' by Alton Sharpe Diposkan oleh Fanny pamungkas di 10.28 David Blaine David Blaine (born David Blaine White, April 4, 1973) is an American Illusionist and endurance artist.

He is best known for his high-profile feats of endurance, and has made ​​his name as a performer of street and close-up magic. [1] He has set and broken Several world records. James Nederlander Theatre owner as well as The New York Times [2] have Referred to Blaine as a modern day Houdini. Early life Blaine was born David Blaine White in Brooklyn, New York and is of Puerto Rican descent on his father's side, and Russian Jewish on his mother's. His mother, Patrice Maureen White (1946-1995), [3] was a school teacher living in New York, and his father William Perez was a Vietnam veteran. When he was four years old, he saw a magician performing magic on the subway. This sparked an interest in Blaine. [4] He was raised by his single mother and Attended many schools in Brooklyn. When he was ten years old, his mother married John Bukalo and They moved to Little Falls, New Jersey, [5] where he Attended Passaic Valley Regional High School. [6] He has a half-brother named Michael James Bukalo.

When he was 17 years old, Blaine moved to Manhattan, New York. Personal life Blaine and his fiancee Alizee Guinochet have one daughter born on January 27, 2011. [8] At the time That Guinochet went into labor, there was a massive blizzard where They lived in New York. Due to the intense weather, no cars or Taxis were the resource persons on the road, so Blaine Had to hail a snowplow, the which Transported the couple to the hospital. Stunts and specials Street Magic and Magic Man On May 19, 1997, Blaine's first television special, David Blaine: Street Magic aired on the ABC network. According to the New York Daily News, “Blaine can lay claim to his own brand of wizardry.

The magic he offers in tonight’s show operates on an uncommonly personal level.”[10] When asked about his performance style, David explained, “I'd like to bring magic back to the place it used to be 100 years ago.”' [11] Time magazine commented, "his deceptively low-key, ultracool manner leaves spectators more amazed than if he'd razzle-dazzled."[12] The concept of focusing on spectator reactions (for example, in his rendition of the Balducci levitation) changed the way that magic has been shown on TV. The New York Times wrote, “He's taken a craft that's been around for hundreds of years and done something unique and fresh with it."[11] Penn Jillette, of Penn & Teller, stated, "the biggest break through done in our lifetime was David Blaine's 'Street Magic,' where his idea was to do really simple tricks but to concentrate... to turn the camera around on the people watching instead of the people doing.

So to make the audience watch the audience, which that first special 'Street Magic,' is the best TV magic special ever done and really, really does break new ground."[13] In Magic Man, Blaine is shown traveling across the country, entertaining unsuspecting pedestrians in New York City, Atlantic City, Dallas, San Francisco, Compton, and the Mojave Desert recorded by a small crew with handheld cameras. Jon Racherbaumer commented, "Make no mistake about it, the focus of this show, boys and girls, is not Blaine. It is really about theatrical proxemics; about the show-within-a-show and the spontaneous, visceral reactions of people being astonished."[14] USA Today calls David “The hottest name in magic right now”. Bureid alive On April 5, 1999, Blaine was entombed in an underground plastic box underneath a 3-ton water-filled tank for seven days across from Trump Place on 68th St. and Riverside Drive.

According to CNN, "Blaine's only communication to the outside world was by a hand buzzer, which could have alerted an around-the-clock emergency crew standing by." BBC News reported that the cramped plastic coffin offered six inches (152 mm) of headroom and two inches on each side. During the endurance stunt Blaine ate nothing and drank only two to three tablespoons of water a day.[16] An estimated 75,000 people visited the site, including Marie Blood, Harry Houdini's niece, who said, "My uncle did some amazing things, but he could not have done this."[17] On the final day of the stunt, April 12, hundreds of news teams were stationed at the site for the coffin-opening. A team of construction workers removed a portion of the 75 square feet (7.0 m2) of gravel surrounding the six-foot-deep coffin before a crane lifted the water tank.[18] Blaine emerged and told the crowd "I saw something very prophetic ...

a vision of every race, every religion, every age group banding together, and that made all this worthwhile."[16] BBC News stated, "The 26-year-old magician has outdone his hero, Harry Houdini, who had planned a similar feat but died in 1926 before he could perform it."[19] During the preparation of the stunt, Jonathan Demme told Time Out New York, “He’s the most exciting thing in America ... And I’m not just talking entertainment. Frozen in Time On November 27, 2000, Blaine began a stunt called "Frozen in Time", which was covered on a TV special. Blaine stood encased in a massive block of ice located in Times Square, New York City. He was lightly dressed and seen to be shivering even before the blocks of ice were sealed around him. A tube supplied him with air and water while his urine was removed with another tube. He was encased in the box of ice for 63 hours, 42 minutes and 15 seconds before being removed with chain saws. The ice was transparent and resting on an elevated platform to show that he was actually inside the ice the entire time.

CNN confirmed that "thousands of people braved the pouring rain Wednesday night to catch a glimpse of Blaine as workers cut away at the ice."[21] He was removed from the ice in an obviously dazed and disoriented state, wrapped in blankets and taken to the hospital immediately because doctors feared he might be going into shock.[22] The New York Times reported, "The magician who emerged from the increasingly unstable ice box seemed a shadow of the confident, robust, shirtless fellow who entered two days before."[23] Blaine said in the documentary follow-up to this feat that it took a month before he was able to walk again and that he had no plans to ever again attempt a stunt of this difficulty. Vertigo On May 22, 2002, a crane lifted Blaine onto a 100-foot (30 m) high and 22-inch (0.56 m) wide pillar in Bryant Park, New York City.

Although he was not harnessed to the pillar, there were two retractable handles on either side of him to grasp in the event of harsh weather.[24] The Evening Standard's James Langton wrote, "He was battered by high winds and unusually cold May weather during his first night and would have been killed or seriously injured if he had fallen."[25] He remained on the pillar for exactly 35 hours. The New Yorker’s Adam Gopnik wrote, “David Blaine, standing up there, is actually as good a magical metaphor for the moment as Houdini, fighting his way out of the straitjacket of immigrant identity toward prosperity, was for his."[26] With his legs weak from standing atop the pillar for so long, he ended the feat by jumping down onto a landing platform made out of a 12-foot (3.7 m) high pile of cardboard boxes and suffered a mild concussion. Mysterious Stranger On October 29, 2002, Random House published David Blaine's Mysterious Stranger: A Book of Magic.[27] Part autobiography, part history of magic, and part armchair treasure hunt, the book also includes instructions on how to perform card tricks and illusions.

Editing director, Bruce Tracy, explains “David Blaine is the most exciting and creative magician since Houdini, and now, readers have the opportunity to enjoy Blaine's unique book about magic, and they can participate by testing their own ability to discover and interpret clues.” [28] The treasure hunt, Blaine's $100,000 Challenge, was devised by game designer Cliff Johnson, creator of The Fool's Errand, and solved by Sherri Skanes on March 20, 2004, 16 months after the book's publication. Above the Below On September 5, 2003, Blaine began his 44-day endurance stunt sealed inside a transparent Plexiglas case suspended 9 metres (30 ft) in the air next to Potters Fields Park on the south bank of the River Thames, the area between City Hall and Tower Bridge in London. The case, measuring 3 feet (0.9 m) by 7 feet (2.1 m) by 7 feet (2.1 m), had a webcam installed so that viewers could observe his progress.

During the 44-day period, Blaine went without any food or nutrients and survived on just 4.5 litres of water per day. The endurance stunt became the subject of much media attention. The Guardian wrote, "Blaine has created one of the most eloquent and telling visual images of our time."[30] The Times reported that "1,614 articles in the British press have made reference to the exploit."[31] Then U.S. President George W. Bush referred to Blaine’s stunt in a speech at the Whitehall Palace in London, saying “The last noted American to visit London stayed in a glass box dangling over the Thames. A few might have been happy to provide similar arrangements for me.”[32] A number of spectators were mischievous or hostile towards the endurance artist.

The Times reported that eggs, lemons, sausages, bacon, water bottles, beer cans, paint-filled balloons and golf balls had all been thrown at the box.[31] The Evening Standard reported that one man was arrested for attempting to spike the water supply to Blaine's box with monkey urine.[33] According to BBC News, a hamburger was flown up to the box by a remote-controlled helicopter as a taunt.[34] On September 25, BBC News reported that Blaine announced via webcam that he was feeling the taste of pear drops on his tongue.[35] Dr. Adam Carey, who performed a medical examination of Blaine before he entered the box, said that the taste was produced by ketones produced by the body burning fatty acids, which are themselves produced from fat reserves. Blaine emerged on schedule on October 19, murmuring "I love you all!" and was quickly hospitalized.

The New England Journal of Medicine published a paper that documented his 44 day fast and stated that his re-feeding was perhaps the most dangerous part of the stunt.[36] The study reported, “He lost 24.5 kg (25 percent of his original body weight), and his body mass index dropped from 29.0 to 21.6. His appearance and body-mass index after his fast would not by themselves have alerted us to the risks of refeeding. Despite cautious management, he had hypophosphatemia and fluid retention, important elements of the refeeding syndrome.”[37] The event was filmed by director, and close friend of Blaine, Harmony Korine. Drowned Alive On May 17, 2006, Blaine was submerged in an 8 feet (2.4 m) diameter, water-filled sphere (isotonic saline, 0.9% salt) in front of the Lincoln Center in New York City for a planned seven days and seven nights, using tubes for air and nutrition. During the stunt, doctors witnessed skin breakdown at the hands and feet, and liver failure.

The New York Times' Kenneth Silverman wrote "his feat of endurance brought a diverse crowd of thousands of New Yorkers together, renewing for a while the city's waning spirit of democratic community."[38] He concluded this event by attempting to hold his breath underwater to break the then-current world record of 8 minutes, 58 seconds held by Tom Sietas for static apnea—holding one's breath without the aid of breathing 100% oxygen beforehand,[39] although Blaine's attempt would not have qualified as static apnea under AIDA International rules.[40] Due to his producers' request to make the show more exciting, Blaine attempted to free himself from handcuffs and chains put on him upon coming out after the week in the sphere.[41] He seemed to have trouble escaping from the last of the handcuffs. Around the 7 minute mark, he showed some signs of distress.

He was pulled up and out of the water by his support divers after 7 minutes and 12 seconds underwater—one minute and fifty seconds short of his goal.[42] Although he did not take home the record for breath holding, he was called “an everyday hero for an everyday age,” by The Boston Globe,[43] and The Washington Post stated, “Blaine represented an opportunity to see something unbelievable.”[44] Blaine did claim to succeed in setting a record for being fully submerged in water for 17 minutes and 4 seconds, and has since broken the record for holding one's breath using oxygen beforehand (as permitted by the Guinness book of records).[45] Blaine underwent multiple short hospital visits after the stunt ended and has entered an agreement with doctors from Yale University to monitor him in order to study the human physiological reaction to prolonged submersion.[45] In an interview on The Howard Stern Show on Sirius satellite radio, Blaine spoke of the week-long fasting he did before the "drowning alive" stunt, to avoid having to be concerned with defecation.

Revolution On November 19, 2006, Blaine announced his next stunt: he would be shackled to a rotating gyroscope. His goal was to escape from his shackles after the gyroscope had been spinning for 16 hours. The gyroscope was constantly spinning at a rate of eight revolutions per minute while hanging above an empty lot in Manhattan near Times Square. The stunt began on November 21, 2006, with Blaine declaring, "This one's exciting for me. This one's a fun one." 52 hours later, without food or water, a dehydrated and weakened Blaine landed on a wooden platform 30 feet (9.1 m) below after jumping from the hanging gyroscope.[46] As a result of his success, Blaine led 100 children selected by The Salvation Army on a shopping spree at Target, after each child received a $500 gift certificate from the retailer. Blaine said the stunt was particularly important since The Salvation Army had provided him with clothing while he was growing up. "This challenge is close to my heart," Blaine said.

Guinness World Records After failing to surpass the then-current record of unassisted static apnea in his previous attempt Drowned Alive,[47][48] Blaine appeared on the April 30, 2008 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show, announcing that he would attempt to break the Guinness World Record for oxygen assisted static apnea set by Peter Colat of Switzerland on February 10, 2008. Before entering his eighteen-hundred gallon water tank, Blaine spent 23 minutes inhaling pure oxygen; up to 30 minutes of "oxygen hyperventilation" is allowed under guidelines.[49] His heart rate remained above one hundred beats per minute during much of the attempt, rising to one hundred and twenty-four bpm in the fifteenth minute. This faster heart rate increases oxygen consumption leading to painful carbon dioxide buildup.[49] In the final minute, his heart rate became erratic and Blaine became worried he might blackout.

In order to assist the medics in case he would lose consciousness, he unhooked his feet from the sphere's bottom and floated closer to the surface ;[49][50] however, he kept his head submerged for a half minute longer than the previous record. Ultimately, Blaine held his breath for 17 minutes 4½ seconds, surpassing Colat's previous mark of 16 minutes 32 seconds. This was Blaine's first Guinness record[50] and it stood for almost four and a half months, until surpassed by Tom Sietas on September 19, 2008. During the following interview, Blaine stated: "I really thought I was not going to make it,"[50] claiming that he did so by staying in a meditative state which was helped by the studio lights reflecting off the sphere.[49] According to Blaine, besides the pressure of performing on television, the heart-rate monitor happened to be close enough to his ear so that he heard its beeping, and he had to keep his feet locked in holds at the bottom of the sphere — instead of just floating freely, as he did in the pool on Grand Cayman months earlier.

Back then he said he was so relaxed he "wasn’t even there" during most of the breath-hold. But when he emerged from the sphere today, he told Oprah, "I was pretty much here the whole time. Dive of Death On September 18, 2008, Donald Trump and Blaine held a press conference at the Trump Tower in New York City to announce his latest feat, “The Upside Down Man.” Blaine was to hang upside down without a safety net for 60 hours above Central Park’s Wollman Rink, with a predicted end for 10:45 p.m. on September 24. Reportedly, Blaine risked blindness and other maladies in the stunt including having to repeatedly defecate in his own pants.[51] Trump has helped finance this and other Blaine events. Blaine hung over the Wollman Rink and interacted with fans by lowering himself upside down. At the press conference, Blaine stated he had already gone without food for over a week and would continue to do so throughout the act.

In order to drink fluid and restore circulation, he would pull himself up, all the while contending with muscle spasms and lack of sleep. Blaine began the stunt on Monday September 22, but was widely criticized when, only hours into the endurance challenge, he was seen by fans to be standing on a waiting crane platform, and not upside down, as expected.[52] He reportedly would come down once an hour to receive a medical check, stretch and relieve himself.[53] When the "Dive of Death" took place, Blaine came down from the platform on a cable, and lightly touched the stage. He was then pulled back up into the air, and, in the words of the Daily News (New York), "hung in the air like a sack of potatoes with a goofy grin on his face, occasionally kicking his legs as though he were running."[54] The plan had been for Blaine to be pulled up into the air by helium balloons and disappear into the atmosphere.[54] Blaine attributed the problem to changes in weather conditions that occurred after the stunt was delayed due to an address by President Bush.

May 2012 show On the 17th June 2011, David announced on a live video chat that he would be doing a show in May 2012. During this video chat he also demonstrated a few of his new tricks, showed a video of him swimming with sharks and announced his new card deck called the white lions. He stated that the show will be 100% street magic and full of completely new material. Diposkan oleh Fanny pamungkas di 10.42

Question: Born April 4, 1973, what illusionists feats included such stunts as being buried alive for 7 days, 63 hours encased in ice, and 44 days spent suspended over the city of London?
Answer: David Blaine